--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fact checking Donald Trump is a really…" description: "\"Fact checking Donald Trump is a really... It is kind of fun but it is ungratifying because nothing checks out.\" — Masha Gessen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/masha-gessen-2322_donald-trump_fact-checking-donald-trump-is-a-really-i_1529111.png" --- # Fact checking Donald Trump is a really... It is kind of… ![“Fact checking Donald Trump is a really... It is kind of fun but it is ungratifying because nothing checks out.” quote by Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/masha-gessen-2322_donald-trump_fact-checking-donald-trump-is-a-really-i_1529111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/masha-gessen-2322_donald-trump_fact-checking-donald-trump-is-a-really-i_1529111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/masha-gessen-2322_donald-trump_fact-checking-donald-trump-is-a-really-i_1529111.png) > “Fact checking Donald Trump is a really... It is kind of fun but it is ungratifying because nothing checks out.” [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fact-checking Trump is entertaining yet unsatisfying because many claims remain unverified. **In simple terms:** Fact‑checking is fun but often unrewarding. Key Takeaway Seek reliable sources and demand accountability. Themes politics media truth verification Mood critical analytical Type journalistic contemplative When to use this quote - elections - news reporting - social media discourse Key Concepts information overload public trust Questions to Reflect On - Why does verification feel unrewarding? - How can we improve fact‑checking efficacy? A Different Perspective Fact‑checking can be limited by lack of evidence or bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Donald trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donald-trump/) [Fact Check](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-check/) [Fact Checking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-checking-430628/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Fun Ungratifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun-ungratifying-5669999/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Trump Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-really-476764/) [Ungratifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ungratifying-5670000/) ## Related quotes > [“Throughout the 2016 campaign, I watched how lies insinuate themselves into people’s brains if hammered often enough. Fact checking is powerless to stop it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/throughout-the-2016-campaign-i-watched-how-lies-insinuate-themselves/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [I do a little fact checking now and then. Other than that its impact is simply that email has revolutionized communication for me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-do-a-little-fact-checking-now-and-then-other-than-that-its-impact/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [“Unfortunately, fact checking has become a lost art”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/unfortunately-fact-checking-has-become-a-lost-art/) [Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/) > ['Fact checking' is opinion journalism pretending to be some sort of heightened objectivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taranto/fact-checking-is-opinion-journalism-pretending-to-be-some-sort-of/) [James Taranto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taranto/) > [Just because someone says something, whether it's at the podium during the briefing or the president tweets, I can't always assume that's factual. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/just-because-someone-says-something-whether-it-s-at-the-podium-during/) [Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/) > [When did fact checking and journalism go their separate ways?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/when-did-fact-checking-and-journalism-go-their-separate-ways/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Fact-checking is a terrible way to report on Donald Trump's lying . It's like we enter into a dialogue with him. It's as though,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/fact-checking-is-a-terrible-way-to-report-on-donald-trump-s-lying-it/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It would be impossible to be fact-checking Donald Trump all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-would-be-impossible-to-be-fact-checking-donald-trump-all-the-time/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [ If \[Donald Trump\] really has an agenda to help, let him move forward with it. We'll see. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/if-donald-trump-really-has-an-agenda-to-help-let-him-move-forward/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [There is no fact-checking on tertiary celebrities. You can say whatever you'd like, and it will just rise up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-knight/there-is-no-fact-checking-on-tertiary-celebrities-you-can-say/) [Wayne Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-knight/) > [When "news stories" are broken, do we not expect a certain amount of fact-checking or source-checking? One has to ask if this falls under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/when-news-stories-are-broken-do-we-not-expect-a-certain-amount-of/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [“People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-that-their-bad-information-can/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [Fact-checking doesn't exist primarily because some of us are liars and cheats. It exists because writers will be writers, much as they may mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/fact-checking-doesn-t-exist-primarily-because-some-of-us-are-liars/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [The internet connects us all and provides this fabulous fact-checking mechanism, and yet at the same time, the power of lies is conveyed much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/the-internet-connects-us-all-and-provides-this-fabulous-fact-checking/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [“It's no use preaching to the choir. The rulebook, evidence, and good, old-fashioned fact-checking – let alone human decency – have been thrown out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-forester/it-s-no-use-preaching-to-the-choir-the-rulebook-evidence-and-good-old/) [H.M. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-forester/) ## More by Masha Gessen > [There's this American pretense, which is the pretense of the journalist with the view from nowhere - which has somehow morphed into the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/there-s-this-american-pretense-which-is-the-pretense-of-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Where incompetence is prized, it is ever-present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/where-incompetence-is-prized-it-is-ever-present/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Trump, like Putin, has a demonstrably thin skin and short temper when it comes to being criticized by journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/trump-like-putin-has-a-demonstrably-thin-skin-and-short-temper-when/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [You risk everything if you so much as join a legal protest demonstration in Russia. It raises the stakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/you-risk-everything-if-you-so-much-as-join-a-legal-protest/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Donald Trump creates word salads. And that is awful to language, because we try to parse out what he's saying and try to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/donald-trump-creates-word-salads-and-that-is-awful-to-language/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It is the first time since 1993 that Russians have come out into the streets without an explicit permission from the government to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/it-is-the-first-time-since-1993-that-russians-have-come-out-into-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think Donald Trump was brought to power by Americans. They voted for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-donald-trump-was-brought-to-power-by-americans-they-voted-for/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [In the 1990s, there was a lot of reform, and there was a lot of forward movement on a lot of fronts in Russia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/in-the-1990s-there-was-a-lot-of-reform-and-there-was-a-lot-of-forward/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Poverty and scarcity are actually very good for totalitarian societies. They maintain that sense of mobilization that's essential for totalitarian societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/poverty-and-scarcity-are-actually-very-good-for-totalitarian/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think that Putin's strategy has been throwing a lot of money, fairly haphazardly, at a lot of projects aimed at disrupting Western relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-that-putin-s-strategy-has-been-throwing-a-lot-of-money-fairly/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Both Trump and Putin use language primarily to communicate not facts or opinions but power: it's not what the words mean that matters but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/both-trump-and-putin-use-language-primarily-to-communicate-not-facts/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I worked both as a Russian journalist and an American journalist and ran a bunch of magazines in Moscow over the course of about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-worked-both-as-a-russian-journalist-and-an-american-journalist-and/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. They're troublemaking efforts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [For years I was the only publicly out gay person who was not a full-time gay activist: my position as a quasi-foreigner gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-years-i-was-the-only-publicly-out-gay-person-who-was-not-a-full/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Explore all 171 Masha Gessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## More Donald trump quotes > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Donald Trump has been rewriting the rules since he got into politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-michael-cillizza/donald-trump-has-been-rewriting-the-rules-since-he-got-into-politics/) [Christopher Michael Cillizza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-michael-cillizza/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [At minimum, we must recognize that there are legitimate, unanswered questions about whether the Obama Justice Department involved themselves in a political project targeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/at-minimum-we-must-recognize-that-there-are-legitimate-unanswered/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [Donald Trump so far is sending a signal that he's going to run the government like his business and maybe that's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/donald-trump-so-far-is-sending-a-signal-that-he-s-going-to-run-the/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [If we turn our backs on the remaining industries and not reinvest in these places and just say 'You're on your own,' we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/if-we-turn-our-backs-on-the-remaining-industries-and-not-reinvest-in/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] knows he's going to get hit, though. He's the president. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/donald-trump-knows-he-s-going-to-get-hit-though-he-s-the-president/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) [Browse all 2,538 Donald trump quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donald-trump/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fact checking Donald Trump is a really... 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